Are working conditions at the factories where our gadgets are
made so miserable that they could push a worker to suicide?

We don't know. But here are two accounts of life in those
factories.

The first is from a New York Times
report following Sun Danyong's death. The second is from a
report published by watchdog group China Labor Watch. It's
supposedly written by a factory worker who makes $220 a month on
the job. At the very least, it portrays working conditions few of
us would tolerate.

A reporter toured two of the company’s campuses in Shenzhen on
Friday, including the one where Mr. Sun worked. The campuses were
so large they contained retail stores, banks, post offices and
high-rise dormitories with outdoor swimming pools.

The reporter was not allowed to see manufacturing lines because
the company said it had to protect trade secrets.

Outside the gates of one campus, most workers interviewed
independently of the company said they were well treated. One of
about 15 workers questioned admitted to being forced to work
overtime above the legal limit.

I was raised in a farmer's family with five family members: my
grandfather, parents, older brother and I. We own about eight
acres of land, but since my grandfather is elderly, he cannot
help my parents grow crops. My older brother is in college, and
as for me, I am currently 19 years old, and just last month I was
recruited by Foxconn through the arrangement my school. Besides
the earnings from growing crops, there is no additional income
for my family. In the past, we had owed some money to relatives
because my parents had to support my brother and my education.
Since I just graduated from a technical school, I was able to
leave home to work and send some money home to pay for my
brother's education and other debts.

After graduation, I was told by my school that it could arrange
for my classmates and me to work at Shenzhen Foxconn. The school
then gave us an introduction of Foxconn. At that time, I knew
Foxconn's campus in Shenzhen is huge, but had no idea just how
big it was until I got there.There were about 200 of us, guided
by school teachers heading to Shenzhen. It took us about 30 hours
by train and then by bus to reach Shenzhen Foxconn.

I was placed in a dormitory that has ten three-level bunk beds,
thus accomodating 30 people. While many people refused to stay
there at that time, the management said that it is much better
than the other dormitories on site that are shared by hundreds of
workers. Although I still had some negative feelings towards the
dorm room, at the same time, I felt lucky for not having to live
in a dorm room shared by hundreds. Just the second day living in
the dorm, however, I found my safe box open, and my walkman gone.
There was nothing I could do but to try to tell myself that I was
lucky because it was not that expensive.

The training begins immediately on the second day upon our
arrival. At first I thought we would be informed of some
professional operative skills and knowledge, but instead, we were
taught the factory's regulations, culture, and acknowledgment of
Foxconn's business concept. By now, I think it is safe to say
that the training is a part of Foxconn's brain washing process. A
supervisor told us that working at Foxconn requires total
obedience; you do not need to be intelligent or highly skilled.
After a week of training, we concluded that at Foxconn, we
shouldn't treat ourselves as human beings, we are just machines.
During the week, we also had a health examination, a very simple
blood test, a blood pressure test and a vision test. We did not
receive any results afterwards.

After the one week of in-class training, we begin our on-site
training, which is a modest way of telling us that we have to
work as long as regular workers, with minimal compensation. Since
we are still under training, Foxconn did not give us a contract
to sign.

I consider myself lucky because one week after the on-site
training I was selected by a CCPBG recruiter, which means I am
officially a regular worker. When the selection takes place, it
seems like a slave market where slave owners get to pick suitable
slaves. There were about a couple hundred of us going through
on-site training, and when the recruiters from other companies on
Foxconn campus come, all of us have to stand straight in lines,
putting our hands behind our backs, and wait for these recruiters
to pick. After the selection ends, those who did not get picked
go back to their work post. They cannot become regular workers
until being picked so I was very lucky to be selected the first
week. Many of my classmates are still doing on-site training
waiting to be picked.

Twenty people including myself were selected and brought to the
workshop where I will finally begin as a regular worker. First,
the supervisor and assistant manager explain to us the rules of
the workshop: no talking at work, no leaving work post at will,
and etc. Then, the section supervisor gave us a lecture,
emphasizing that we are no longer in school and that we have to
work hard. Afterwards, I was assigned to my post, and few days
later, I was offered a contract to sign. Since I was very
inexperienced at that time, I did not even look at the contract
details, and I still have yet to take a look at what exactly is
on my contract.

My work post at that time was connecting computer wires. Later, I
was assigned to another production line that produces CD-ROMs. I
believe the whole workshop is producing for Sony.

Everyday I wake up at 7 AM, head to the workshop at 7:30 AM,
place all personal items that contain metal, such as mobile
phones, keys, pens and etc., into the shoe shelf, change into my
uniform, and begin working at 8 AM. Although CCPBG states that
work begins at 8 AM, it actually requires workers to be present
at the workshop by 7:30 AM, and those 30 minutes are unpaid.

My current position is at the end of the production belt,
installing four screws onto each CD-ROM case. At first I was not
very skilled, and many times, either I was not able to install
screws fast enough, decelerating the production or the screws
were too loose. Thus the first week, I was often insulted by my
supervisor. It was at that time when many workers decided to
quit, not having been paid the adequate wages that we deserved.
Like those workers, I was on the verge of quitting, but after I
thought about my brother's education, and my family's limited
income, I stayed. I am much better at my job now, though the
speed of the production line moves so quickly that I have to
continue to install screws on the CD-ROMs nonstop until lunch
time, which is at noon. Before exiting the workshop, we have to
go through a metal detector test, and if the alarm goes off,
security will need to conduct a search to find the cause. If the
cause is not work-related, we are allowed to pass.

We have a one hour lunch break. During break, the whole campus is
filled with people, and we have to be very careful not to run
into anyone. The situation in the canteen is even worse, and I
generally have to wait more than ten minutes to get the meal. The
lunch meal consists of two meat dishes and one vegetable dish,
and rice is self-service, though I don't recommend taking too
much rice since left over rice results in a fine. Since I always
finish what I have on the plate, I am not too certain of the
details of the fine.

At 1 PM, we return to our work and continue what was left off
earlier this morning. The afternoon is the most difficult part of
the day, and since there is no time for nap after lunch, I often
feel drowsy. We get off work at 5 PM, have dinner, rest for a
while, and then at 6 PM overtime begins. We usually get off work
at 8 PM, having completed two hours of overtime. However, if we
were unable to complete the production quota in the allotted
time, we would be insulted by supervisors and asked to work until
the quota is reached. Moreover, those additional hours are
unpaid. I was told by other experienced workers that each month
there are about ten overtime hours uncounted, excluding the extra
30 minutes of unpaid work each morning.

Since I have been standing at the same spot working for more than
ten hours, when I return to the dorm at night, I feel so
exhausted and don't want to move. The dormitory is very
inconvenient. I have to walk to the other side of the dormitory
to take a shower, drink water, or use the bathroom. Since there's
only one shower room on each floor, I often have to wait for a
long time before I can take a shower and go to sleep.

Although the dormitory is free, my classmate and I decided to
move out for safety reasons. Now, I live in a one bedroom
apartment about 25 minutes' drive from Foxconn. The rent is 300
RMB and we split the cost. Including the bus fare, which is 4 RMB
roundtrip, about 120 RMB a month, I spend about a total of 270
RMB a month. Although I have to wake up much earlier to go to
work, I feel much safer.

I was told by other workers that it is difficult to distinguish
between peak and slow season at Foxconn. When it is busy, we have
to work more than ten hours a day and most likely get one off day
a month. When work is slow, we still have to work over ten hours
a day, though we have three to four off days a month. This month
I have only two off days, and since the crime rate at where I
live is high, and I have often heard cases of robberies nearby, I
usually stay home when I don't have to work. When my classmate
and I miss our homes, we cook some of our local dishes as a
remedy to our homesickness.

There is too much pressure during the day. I never have time to
think, and only at night would I think about my parents at home.
I want to call them, but there's no time to call during the day,
and at night, I feel guilty calling because my parents are
probably exhausted from working in the field all day. The only
chance I have to call them is on my off days. Perhaps in the
future, when the company switchs me to night shifts I would have
more opportunities to call home.

As for the future, I have not thought about it yet. Currently I
earn about 1,500 RMB a month, which includes the minimum wage of
750 RMB and all the overtime hours I have worked. I will continue
to work at Foxconn until my brother graduates and all the debts
in the family paid off. Life is too difficult here. I feel like I
have no self-esteem.